How is Easter decided?

[trrocks03]

I am sorry if this is in the wrong forum. My question is this. Someone has to determine when Easter is every year. The calendar makers aren’t the ones, and then all the Christian faiths all share it on the same day. And the fact that all the Christian faiths have Easter on the same day begs the question… Who is determining when Easter is going to be every year? Again, sorry if this is in the wrong forum or this question has been asked before.

 

[Joannm]

I am sorry if this is in the wrong forum. My question is this. Someone has to determine when Easter is every year. The calendar makers aren’t the ones, and then all the Christian faiths all share it on the same day. And the fact that all the Christian faiths have Easter on the same day begs the question… Who is determining when Easter is going to be every year? Again, sorry if this is in the wrong forum or this question has been asked before.

First Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox.

 

[trrocks03]

Who determined this?

 

[Cathryn]

The Catholic Church determined this. All the Christian faiths accept what day Easter will be celebrated as determined by the Catholic Church. Not many however admit or think about how Easter is determined.

 

[ejlo1]

I believe it is scheduled to coincide with the Jewish Passover, in keeping with the Passion story in the New Testament.

Check out this website: quasar.as.utexas.edu/BillInfo/ReligiousCalendars.html

"If you pay attention to the dates of Easter and Passover from year to year, you will notice that although they usually fall within a week or so of each other, on occasion Passover falls about a month after (Gregorian) Easter. At the present time, this happens in in the 3rd, 11th, and 14th years of the Metonoic Cycle (i.e., when the Golden Number equals 3, 11, or 14). The reason for this discrepancy is the fact that although the Metonic Cycle is very good, it is not perfect (as we’ve seen in this course). In particular, it is a little off if you use it to predict the length of the tropical year. So, over the centuries the date of the vernal equinox, as predicted by the Metonic Cycle, has been drifting to later and later dates. So, the rule for Passover, which was originally intended to track the vernal equinox, has gotten a few days off. In ancient times this was never a problem since Passover was set by actual observations of the Moon and of the vernal equinox. However, after Hillel II standardized the Hebrew calendar in the 4th century, actual observations of celestial events no longer played a part in the determination of the date of Passover. The Gregorian calendar reform of 1582 brought the Western Church back into conformity with astronomical events, hence the discrepancy.

Similarly, you will notice that in many years Gregorian Easter (the one marked on all calendars) differs from Julian (Orthodox) Easter, sometimes by a week, sometimes by a month. Again, this is due to the different rules of calculation. A major difference is that Orthodox Easter uses the old Julian calendar for calculation, and the date of the Vernal Equinox is slipping later and later on the Julian calendar relative to the Gregorian calendar (and to astronomical fact). Also, the date of Paschal Full Moon for the Julian calculation is about 4 days later than that for the Gregorian calculation. At present, in 5 out of 19 years in the Metonic Cycle–the years when the Golden Number equals 3, 8, 11, 14 and 19–Orthodox Easter occurs a month after Gregorian Easter. In three of these years, Passover also falls a month after Gregorian Easter (see above)."

 

[ElectricMayhem]

The issue of the date was finally settled at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Obviously, the celebration of easter dates to the first century but depending upon where you lived, the date and emphasis was different.

 

[Justin1224]

They have lists for the date of Easter 200+ years into the future.

 

[KitSileya]

First Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21, to be most precise, as the Spring Equinox can fall on the 19, 20 and 21 March, but the Church has decided that it is on the 21 March regardless of the astronomical calculations.

 

[dixibehr]

Someone has to determine when Easter is every year. The calendar makers aren’t the ones, and then all the Christian faiths all share it on the same day. And the fact that all the Christian faiths have Easter on the same day begs the question

This is not true.

Orthodox and many Eastern Catholics, including Romanian Catholics, Ukrainian Catholics in Ukraine, and in the Middle East observe Eastern on a different date.

 

[Justin1224]

Even though no one around today will be alive when this happens, Its something I realized last year and wondered what will happen. We all know we had a very early Easter last year but sometime in the 2200’s easter will fall a day earlier, March 22, the earliest possible date for Easter. Last year the feasts of the Visitation (May 31st always) and the Immaculate Heart of Mary (3rd Saturday after Pentecost) fell on the same day, and I think the Visitation took precedence. When Easter will fall on Sunday March 22, 22??, Pentecost will be May 10, The Most Holy Trinity on May 17, The Body and Blood of Christ on May 24. What about the next Sunday, May 31, will it be celebrated as the 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Feast of the Visitation.

 

[tobinatorstark]

Even though no one around today will be alive when this happens, Its something I realized last year and wondered what will happen. We all know we had a very early Easter last year but sometime in the 2200’s easter will fall a day earlier, March 22, the earliest possible date for Easter. Last year the feasts of the Visitation (May 31st always) and the Immaculate Heart of Mary (3rd Saturday after Pentecost) fell on the same day, and I think the Visitation took precedence. When Easter will fall on Sunday March 22, 22??, Pentecost will be May 10, The Most Holy Trinity on May 17, The Body and Blood of Christ on May 24. What about the next Sunday, May 31, will it be celebrated as the 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Feast of the Visitation.

Traditionally the Visitation is held on 31st of May in the west and March 30 in the East. Liturgical Calender according to Christian Prayer, “Liturgy of the Hours” May 31, 2009 is Pentecost. I don’t know for sure when East will fall on March 22. I assume the next time May 31 is the 9th Ordinary time, the Feast of the Visitation will be observed. My question is what about This May 31, 2009. What will be observed Penetecost or Visitation???

 

[yearofthelord]

Pentecost will be observed on May 31, 2009. Source www.romcal.net

This is a great resource for the Liturgical Calender. You might email your question to the website manager. I am sure he would consider it a challange to answer.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Note that Easter and Pentecost are the highest priority Solemnities. They take precedence over all other days.

Ordinary Sundays are displaced by Solemnities and Feasts of the Lord, but not by other Feasts. Sundays of Lent [and the week days of Holy Week], Advent, and the Easter Season [Easter to Pentecost, Sundays and the week days of Easter week] take precedence over other Solemnities.

Displaced Solemnities are celebrated on the nearest available day. Displaced Feasts are just omitted that year. Note last year both St Joseph’s day and the Annunciation were displaced by Holy week last year. Displaced Solemnities are usually transferred forward, but St Joseph’s day was moved back.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Someone has to determine when Easter is every year. The calendar makers aren’t the ones, and then all the Christian faiths all share it on the same day. And the fact that all the Christian faiths have Easter on the same day begs the question

This is not true.

Orthodox and many Eastern Catholics, including Romanian Catholics, Ukrainian Catholics in Ukraine, and in the Middle East observe Eastern on a different date.

They follow the same rule but calculate March 31 by the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. Dates on the Julian calendar are later [21 days later I think, but not sure] than on the Gregorian calendar.

 

[Digitonomy]

Displaced Solemnities are usually transferred forward, but St Joseph’s day was moved back.

I assume there are rules on when backward transference takes place?

 

[Justin1224]

May 31st this year is of course Pentecost because it has greater importance. May 31st is a Sunday when Easter is March 22, 29th, April 5, 12, or 19th. When Easter falls on the 22nd of March all the Sunday Feasts that take precedence and are tied to the date of Easter, that is up until Corpus Christi are past so on Sunday the 31st of May would either be celebrated as the 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time or the Feast of the Visitation, so I’m wondering which would take precedence?

 

[dixibehr]

Something unusual:

The Eastern and Western dates for Easter will coincide for TWO YEARS RUNNING in 2010 and 2011.

This is a God-sent opportunity for both lungs to get it together about the date of this Feast of Feasts.

 

[dixibehr]

They follow the same rule but calculate March 31 by the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. Dates on the Julian calendar are later [21 days later I think, but not sure] than on the Gregorian calendar.<<

It’s 13 days later.

But there are other considerations as well.

For example, the Epact (Paschal moon) is different as well.

Of course, in both calculations it was reduced to tables and formulas centuries ago.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

May 31st this year is of course Pentecost because it has greater importance. May 31st is a Sunday when Easter is March 22, 29th, April 5, 12, or 19th. When Easter falls on the 22nd of March all the Sunday Feasts that take precedence and are tied to the date of Easter, that is up until Corpus Christi are past so on Sunday the 31st of May would either be celebrated as the 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time or the Feast of the Visitation, so I’m wondering which would take precedence?

The Visitation is a feast of Mary, not of the Lord, so the Sunday takes precedence. There is a clue in the Liturgy of the Hours. Feasts of the Lord, e.g. February 2, the Baptism, have a First Evening Prayer for use when they fall on Sunday. Other feasts, e.g. May 31, do not, since they will never be celebrated on Sunday.

 

[Chatter163]

I assume there are rules on when backward transference takes place?

Actually, there are not. There is no provision for this, and the Holy See’s decision (announced in 2006) to do this last year came as a bit of surprise. The permission, however, stated that it was only being done for 2008, so it appears to have been some sort of experiment. Time will tell if it is tried again.